July 31, 2012
Powell, Ohio – Notre Dame women’s golfers Ashley Armstrong (So., Flossmoor, Ill.) and Kristina Nhim (Jr., Cypress, Calif.) fired a three-under par 69 in the opening round of the Pure Silk Collegiate Team Championship to lead the tournament by three strokes over pairs from South Carolina and Vanderbilt. The tournament, sponsored by the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA), is being played on the par- 72, 6,306-yard Wedgewood Golf and Country Club.
The Irish recorded their 69 on Tuesday morning, playing alternate shots. Wednesday’s second round will feature Best Ball play and Thursday’s final round will be aggregate scoring. A total of 108 players (54 teams) are playing in the field that is made up of pairs of players from the same schools from all levels of collegiate golf, including Division I, II and III.
Playing alternate shots, Notre Dame’s duo parred the opening hole before bogeying the second hole. They then followed with birdies on three, seven and nine to shoot a 34 on the front nine. Another birdie on the par 4 12th moved Armstrong and Nhim to three-under par before they bogeyed the par 5 14th hole. They got that stroke back on 15 with a birdie and then ran off three consecutive pars for the 69.
South Carolina’s team of Meredith Swanson and Samantha Swinehart and Vanderbilt’s duo of Kendall Martindale and Lauren Stratton are each three strokes back with an opening round of even par 72.
Iowa, Michigan and Michigan State’s B team are four strokes behind the Irish as all three of those teams shot one-over par 73s.
Armstrong and Nhim were both all-BIG EAST selections this past year as Armstrong was the individual medalist at the BIG EAST Championship, winning in a playoff while Nhim tied for sixth on the way to her second all-conference selection.
In her first season at Notre Dame, Armstrong was second on the team with a 75.62 stroke average while Nhim was third overall with a 77.59. She will be the veteran of the Irish lineup this fall as she enters her junior season. In 66 career rounds, Nhim owns a 76.68 career average.
The Wedgewood Golf & Country Club is an 18-hole private facility, considered one of the most challenging courses in Central Ohio. Opened in 1991, the golf course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
Tickets to the Team Championship are free and open to the public. Play will begin daily at 8:00 am with tee times starting on both #1 and #10.
Top 10 Teams after 18 holes
1. Notre Dame -3 692. South Carolina E 72 Vanderbilt E 724. Iowa +1 73 Michigan +1 73 Michigan State (B) +1 737. Michigan State +2 74 Oklahoma +2 749. Cincinnati +3 7510. Mercer +4 76 Mississippi +4 76 Purdue +4 76 UC Irvine +4 76 Wake Forest +4 76